Obituary for Helen Watt Ritchie Walker
WALKER, Helen Watt Ritchie (Stirling), age 94, of Arlington, MA, formerly of Lexington on Wednesday, October 23, 2019.
Beloved daughter of the late Christina (Ritchie) and William Stirling. Devoted wife of the late Robert Lee Walker. Loving mother of Christina L. Brown and her husband Michael of Arlington and Pamela S. Panish and her husband Joseph of Littleton. Devoted grandmother of David M. Brown and his wife Tracie of Maynard; Kira Furtado and her husband John of Hudson, NH; and Stephen Panish of Amherst. Doting great-grandmother of Madison, Jaclyn, and Sayde Brown of Maynard, and Viviana and Emilia Furtado of Hudson, NH. Member of Ivanettes Candlepin Bowling League of Woburn; Bon Accord Lodge #39, Daughters of Scotia; Aletheon Chapter #154 , Order of the Eastern Star; and Oppela Temple No. 50, Daughters of the Nile.
Helen travelled many places with her husband, Bob, who retired as a SMSGT in the US Air Force and experienced many stories she enjoyed telling. Such as: flying alone from NYC to the Panama Canal Zone in a small plane during a lightning storm with a two year old and a forced weather stop-over in Cuba; her return “one time ever cruise” with a 10 month old toddler and a sea-sick 4 year old on an overbooked ship; living in the Texas panhandle watching the frequent tornado warnings; living in Florida near a smelly southern paper mill and trying not to see any snakes or alligators; living in Camp Springs, MD near D.C.; and living and shopping in Germany despite not knowing any German other than hello, good bye, and thank you. She also travelled to Scotland with her parents to visit their home towns of Rosehearty and Stirling.
Helen enjoyed having company, especially hostessing family visits, and she would do anything for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even though she was an only child, Helen enjoyed being an active member of a large family that included many close aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Helen was well known for her sense of humor, liveliness, loyalty, opinions, generosity, and friendliness. She loved talking to people when out shopping, even if she didn’t know them. In her seventies, Helen joined a candlepin bowling league and enjoyed bowling until this past summer. Candlepin bowling and going to lunch afterwards were on her schedule for every Thursday morning from September to May. Also on her schedule were the weekend lunch and shopping trips with her daughters. In her late eighties, she even danced the macarena in a skit with the Oppela Temple Funtastiks. An independent soul, Helen continued to drive into her nineties until this July.
Services will be held at Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Chestnut Street, Arlington, on Saturday, October 26, 2019. Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours from 4 pm to 8 pm with a funeral service by Oppela Temple No. 50, Daughters of the Nile, at 7:30 pm. Inurnment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Helen’s memory to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114.
Beloved daughter of the late Christina (Ritchie) and William Stirling. Devoted wife of the late Robert Lee Walker. Loving mother of Christina L. Brown and her husband Michael of Arlington and Pamela S. Panish and her husband Joseph of Littleton. Devoted grandmother of David M. Brown and his wife Tracie of Maynard; Kira Furtado and her husband John of Hudson, NH; and Stephen Panish of Amherst. Doting great-grandmother of Madison, Jaclyn, and Sayde Brown of Maynard, and Viviana and Emilia Furtado of Hudson, NH. Member of Ivanettes Candlepin Bowling League of Woburn; Bon Accord Lodge #39, Daughters of Scotia; Aletheon Chapter #154 , Order of the Eastern Star; and Oppela Temple No. 50, Daughters of the Nile.
Helen travelled many places with her husband, Bob, who retired as a SMSGT in the US Air Force and experienced many stories she enjoyed telling. Such as: flying alone from NYC to the Panama Canal Zone in a small plane during a lightning storm with a two year old and a forced weather stop-over in Cuba; her return “one time ever cruise” with a 10 month old toddler and a sea-sick 4 year old on an overbooked ship; living in the Texas panhandle watching the frequent tornado warnings; living in Florida near a smelly southern paper mill and trying not to see any snakes or alligators; living in Camp Springs, MD near D.C.; and living and shopping in Germany despite not knowing any German other than hello, good bye, and thank you. She also travelled to Scotland with her parents to visit their home towns of Rosehearty and Stirling.
Helen enjoyed having company, especially hostessing family visits, and she would do anything for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even though she was an only child, Helen enjoyed being an active member of a large family that included many close aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Helen was well known for her sense of humor, liveliness, loyalty, opinions, generosity, and friendliness. She loved talking to people when out shopping, even if she didn’t know them. In her seventies, Helen joined a candlepin bowling league and enjoyed bowling until this past summer. Candlepin bowling and going to lunch afterwards were on her schedule for every Thursday morning from September to May. Also on her schedule were the weekend lunch and shopping trips with her daughters. In her late eighties, she even danced the macarena in a skit with the Oppela Temple Funtastiks. An independent soul, Helen continued to drive into her nineties until this July.
Services will be held at Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Chestnut Street, Arlington, on Saturday, October 26, 2019. Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours from 4 pm to 8 pm with a funeral service by Oppela Temple No. 50, Daughters of the Nile, at 7:30 pm. Inurnment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Helen’s memory to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114.